Batang Ai Resort
The Batang Ai National Park has a Hilton resort. This is located directly on the same reservoir and can be reached via a twenty-minute boat ride. To the reservoir itself one comes from Kuching over a 280 – 300km long country road. For this you have to plan 4-5 hours. At the time of my trip, the entrance fee for the Batang Ai National Park, the cost of the boat trip over the reservoir as well as the transport to and from Kuching were packaged with the room rate.
The Batang Ai Resort is the local style of the longhouses (row houses) recreated and appears as a complete timber construction. The bulk of the staff comes from the area and is Iban, who were once feared as a headhunter.
Batang Ai Resort Batang-Ai entrance Welcome to Batang Ai ResortTerrace – Batang Ai Resort Terrace with sun loungers and overlooking the lakeDam Batang Ai View of the Batang-Ai damDam Batang Ai On the way to Longhouse – Batang Ai Resort
Striking is the orientation of the rooms. There is no way to take a look at the lake. Tropical rainforest is everything that you can see. This design allowed warriors to prepare in their own premises for a campaign earlier without the scout could catch something.
Striking is the orientation of the rooms. There is no way to take a look at the lake. Tropical rainforest is everything that you can see. This design allowed warriors to prepare in their own premises for a campaign earlier without the scout could catch something.
Within the Batang Ai Resort there is a swimming pool, tennis courts, a small library and a small cinema. Following a notice, activities are offered at different times of the day. Here you can learn blowpipe shooting, it is performed a dance performances and costumes of different cultures are presented. As you would expect at a Hilton resort, there is good quality western food. Local delicacies are offered in addition.
Batang Ai Resort Longhouse Corridor Corridor in the Hilton Longhouse with access to the roomsBatang Ai Resort Longhouse One of the longhouses at Batang Ai Resort
Sense of a visit to a Hilton resort in the middle of the tropical rainforest is of course not to stay inside but to explore the area. There are a variety of excursion options offered with the most a day in advance must be booked. These include guided hikes through the tropical rainforest, excursions with possible overnight stay in various longhouses near the Iban (indigenous people) and boat trips on the reservoir.
Batang Ai Reservoir View of the calm lakeBatang Ai Resort Reservoir View from a boat to the lake at lunchtime
Handicrafts of local cultures can be purchased during visits to the Ibans in their longhouses. There is a larger selection of souvenirs in all cities (Sibu, Miri, Kuching, etc). Nearby is Lubok Antu. There you can buy a complete equipment of the local Iban costume. For this you have to first drive back over the reservoir and then plan for half an hour’s drive. The opening times of the souvenir shops can be experienced directly at the resort.
